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I, Narendra Modi, all the way: This govt bears the PM's stamp like few have before

I, Narendra Modi, all the way: This govt bears the PM's stamp like few have before

Modi kept his date with destiny on Monday when he was sworn in as the 15th PM of India. He leads a team of 45 ministers, which is leaner than the UPA ministry.

TNN | Updated: May 27, 2014, 09:56 IST

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NEW DELHI: Narendra Modi kept his date with destiny on Monday when he was sworn in as the 15th Prime Minister of India. He leads a team of 45 ministers — 23 of them in the cabinet rank — which is distinctly leaner than the outgoing UPA ministry. It's a team that bears his personal stamp, with many of the ministers owing him their position, and reflects his resolve to form his ministry without being encumbered by reputations or stature.
So, armed with the Sangh Parivar's decision to bench those above 75, Modi has kept out both L K Advani and Murli Manohar Joshi, something that didn't seem possible to many. At the same time, he hasn't heeded the claims of Arun Shourie or Subramaniam Swamy, who were speculated by media (not TOI) to be sure-shot ministers. Nor has he brought in technocrats into his team — not yet, at least.

As reported by TOI a week earlier on May 20, Arun Jaitley has emerged unscathed from his defeat in Amritsar. In fact, he has become virtually the No. 2 with two crucial CCS portfolios, finance and defence, and Rajnath Singh has been given home, ending all ambiguity about who calls the shots in the party.

Sushma Swaraj, who has had an uneasy relationship with Modi, is the new external affairs minister, a very important portfolio. The assignment makes her only the second woman after Indira Gandhi to sit in the CCS. But the job will also require her to hawk Modi to countries that have been critical of him.

Modi's ministry-making appears to be a work in progress, and an expansion is expected soon. For instance, it's unlikely that Jaitley will continue to hold finance and defence, both of which require full-time attention. Also, there are gaps, social as well as geographical, which will require to be filled. Several states, among them West Bengal, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Kerala and those in the north-east, barring Arunachal Pradesh, find no representation in the council of ministers.

Rajasthan, where BJP won all the 25 Lok Sabha seats, has a solitary representative, Nihal Chand Meghwal who has been appointed MoS. Bhumihars, who rooted for Modi in Bihar, have not found a seat, with C P Thakur falling victim to the decision to bench those above 75 years of age. Although Manoj Sinha, another member of the community, has been accommodated from neighbouring UP, the community will need to be accommodated in view of the looming assembly polls in the state.

Prominent faces

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Prominent faces

Narendra Modi takes oath as India's 15th Prime Minister in an elaborate ceremony at Rashtrapati Bhawan on May 26, 2014. Modi came to power after a sweeping election victory that ended the two terms of rule by the Congress. (TOI photo)

Prominent faces

Rajnath Singh takes the oath of office during a swearing-in ceremony for new Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his cabinet ministers at the Rashtrapati Bhawan in New Delhi on May 26, 2014.

Prominent faces

Arun Jaitley takes the oath of office during a swearing-in ceremony for new Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his cabinet ministers at the Rashtrapati Bhawan in New Delhi on May 26, 2014. (AFP photo)

Prominent faces

Sushma Swaraj takes the oath of office during a swearing-in ceremony for new Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his cabinet ministers at the Rashtrapati Bhawan in New Delhi on May 26, 2014. (AFP photo)

Prominent faces

Nitin Gadkari takes the oath of office during a swearing-in ceremony for new Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his cabinet ministers at the Rashtrapati Bhawan in New Delhi. (AFP photo)

Prominent faces

Venkaih Naidu takes the oath of office during a swearing-in ceremony for new Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his cabinet ministers at the Rashtrapati Bhawan in New Delhi. (AFP photo)

Prominent faces

Retired Indian chief of Army staff, General V.K. Singh takes the oath of office during a swearing-in ceremony for new Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his cabinet ministers at the Rashtrapati Bhawan in New Delhi on May 26, 2014.( AFP photo)

Prominent faces

Harsh Vardhan takes the oath of office during a swearing-in ceremony for new Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his cabinet ministers at the Rashtrapati Bhawan in New Delhi on May 26, 2014. (AFP photo)

Prominent faces

Lok Jan Shakti Party leader Ram Vilas Paswan takes the oath of office during a swearing-in ceremony for new Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his cabinet ministers at the Rashtrapati Bhawan in New Delhi on May 26, 2014. (AFP photo)

Prominent faces

Smriti Irani takes the oath of office during a swearing-in ceremony for new Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his cabinet ministers at the Rashtrapati Bhawan in New Delhi on May 26, 2014.

Prominent faces

Uma Bharti takes the oath of office during a swearing-in ceremony for new Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his cabinet ministers at the Rashtrapati Bhawan in New Delhi. (AFP photo)

Prominent faces

Maneka Gandhi at the swearing-in ceremony of new Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi on May 26, 2014.(TOI photo)

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